Homicides and socio-environmental determinants of health in Brazil: a systematic literature review (original) (raw)
Related papers
Homicídios e determinantes socioambientais da saúde no Brasil: uma revisão sistemática da literatura
Cadernos De Saude Publica, 2018
Brazil currently has the highest absolute number of homicides in the world, which results from a complex range of factors. This study aimed at understanding the associations between socio-environmental determinants of health (SDH) and homicides in Brazil through a systematic literature review. The review followed PRISMA guidelines, selecting quantitative and qualitative studies published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish carried out between 2002 and 2017, available in the PubMed, MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO and BVS-BIREME databases. Two trilingual reviewers tracked studies independently by basing on the eligibility criteria. We critically assessed the selected studies with the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) or the Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies, depending on the study design. We considered 60 studies and grouped their SDH into categories to develop a narrative synthesis about each SDH. These categories were: territory; race/ethnicity; gender; age; social inequalities and economic factors; development; education; work and employment; drugs and trafficking; other SDH. We found some SDH were more associated with homicides, such as being young, black, male, of low education level, and also people who lived in places of high social inequality, such as urban suburbs and agricultural frontiers. Unemployment and drug trafficking, as well as intersections between various SDH were also prominent. Education seems to be a protective factor for homicide. Despite the limited capacity of interpretation due to the high range of methodological approaches, this review shows the importance of considering SDH and their intersections when developing homicide prevention policies.
Cadernos De Saude Publica, 2018
Brazil currently has the highest absolute number of homicides in the world, which results from a complex range of factors. This study aimed at understanding the associations between socio-environmental determinants of health (SDH) and homicides in Brazil through a systematic literature review. The review followed PRISMA guidelines, selecting quantitative and qualitative studies published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish carried out between 2002 and 2017, available in the PubMed, MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO and BVS-BIREME databases. Two trilingual reviewers tracked studies independently by basing on the eligibility criteria. We critically assessed the selected studies with the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) or the Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies, depending on the study design. We considered 60 studies and grouped their SDH into categories to develop a narrative synthesis about each SDH. These categories were: territory; race/ethnicity; gender; age; social inequalities and economic factors; development; education; work and employment; drugs and trafficking; other SDH. We found some SDH were more associated with homicides, such as being young, black, male, of low education level, and also people who lived in places of high social inequality, such as urban suburbs and agricultural frontiers. Unemployment and drug trafficking, as well as intersections between various SDH were also prominent. Education seems to be a protective factor for homicide. Despite the limited capacity of interpretation due to the high range of methodological approaches, this review shows the importance of considering SDH and their intersections when developing homicide prevention policies.
Social determinants and their interference in homicide rates in a city in northeastern Brazil
Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia, 2014
OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to analyze the possible relationship between social determinants and homicide mortality in Fortaleza (CE), Brazil. METHOD: To investigate whether the rate of mortality by homicides is related to social determinants, an ecological study with emphasis on spatial analysis was conducted in the city of Fortaleza. Social, economic, demographic and sanitation data, as well as information regarding years of potential life lost, and Human Development Index were collected. The dependent variable was the rate of homicides in the period 2004 to 2006. In order to verify the relationship between the outcome variable and the predictor variables, we performed a multivariate linear regression model. RESULTS: We found associations between social determinants and the rate of mortality by homicides. Variables related to income and education were proven determinants for mortality. The multiple regression model showed that 51% of homicides in Fortaleza neighborhoods are explain...
Cadernos De Saude Publica, 2022
The aim was to analyze the relations between homicidal violence, human development, inequality, population size, and urbanization rates in Brazilian municipalities. This is a retrospective ecological study of 5,570 Brazilian municipalities which analyzes the relations between the average rate of homicides registered in the Brazilian Mortality Information System (from 2005 to 2015) and selected indicators: municipal human development indices (HDI-M), Gini index, urbanization rates, and quantitative population. Analysis of the relative effect (%) of the variables on the risk for homicidal violence showed a greater association with more populous municipalities (log 10
Homicides in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil: a portrait of urban inequality
2019
In Brazil, homicides are one of the most sensitive indicators of urban social inequalities. Integrated social protection policies can have a definite impact over this health event. The objective of this article is to describe homicides in Belo Horizonte in the light of a conceptual model, part of the evaluation process of a redevelopment project in the city. Based on a review of the literature, this conceptual model was constructed to assess the relationship between homicides and urban living in Brazil. A descriptive study of homicides was carried out using data on the period from 2002 to 2012, extracted from the Mortality Information System (Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade – SIM). The conceptual model reinforces that the most expressive determinants of homicides are found in the cities, and are linked to inequality and exclusion, together with the values of a culture based on prejudice and the use of force. The prevalence of homicides in Belo Horizonte was high even in the...
Factors associated with homicide in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, 2014
Objective: to identify characteristics, magnitude and factors associated with homicide in Manaus-AM, Brazil. Methods: cross-sectional study, with data from the Mortality Information System (SIM); homicide rates and odds ratio (OR) were estimated, comparing to other external causes, for 2014; logistic regression was used. Results: of the 1,657 violent deaths, 913 were due to homicide; homicide rate was of 55.8/100 thousand inhabitants (95%CI 52.1;59.7); odds ratio was higher among males (OR 3.4; 95%CI 2.3;5.1) when compared with females; among single (OR 1.6; 95%CI 1.1;2.5) and widowed individuals (OR 4.1; 95%CI 1.1;15.6), when compared with married individuals; at night/early hours (OR 2.1; 95%CI 1.6;2.9) and in the afternoon (OR 1.7; 95%CI 1.2;2.4), when compared with the morning period; the probability was higher among individuals under 35 years, with less schooling. Conclusion: homicide mortality in Manaus was high, especially among males and young individuals with less schooling.
Health & Place, 2006
Over the last decade, the number of homicides in Porto Alegre has increased to the point where external causes are now the main group of causes of death in the 5-34-year age group. Preventing these deaths depends fundamentally on identifying factors related to excess violence in population groups. The overall aim of this study is to analyse the spatial distribution of homicide victims by place of residence in Porto Alegre, the capital of the southernmost Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul, in 1996, in order to identify and understand the socio-spatial context. Demographic and socioeconomic indicators based on the 1991 census and 1996 population count were used to build a multivariate classification characterizing the 1851 census tracts. Homicides occurring in 1996 were located using the municipality's Geographic Information System. Four socioeconomic groups were identified, mainly differentiated by housing indicators. Small areas on the urban periphery in which slums (favelas) are concentrated presented higher homicide rates. Homicide rates were lower in the two groups with higher income and educational level. The second step was to classify the census tracts according to the homicide indicator. In this case, areas were differentiated by the number of household inhabitants per room, income, schooling, and median age. We conclude that the multivariate socioeconomic classification presents a limited capacity to identify populations exposed to homicides, suggesting that socioeconomic conditions themselves do not determine violent behaviour. On the other hand, the spatial methods allowed us to identify small areas where deaths are concentrated and whose populations should receive special attention in planning measures to prevent violent deaths. r
Intra-urban differentials in death rates from homicide in the city of S�o Paulo, Brazil,1988�1994
Soc Sci Med, 1998
ÐThe objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic statistics and homicide mortality rates in the city of SaÄ o Paulo between 1988 and 1994. City districts were grouped into ®ve geographic areas. A socioeconomic indicator (ISE) was constructed with census information combining average income of the family head, illiteracy rate for the population over 5 yr of age, average number of rooms and number of persons per household. The higher the score, the better the socioeconomic situation (possible values: 4 to 384). Deaths from homicide were grouped by residential areas, and the rates for these areas were calculated. The association between homicide rates and the socioeconomic situation was analyzed with Spearman correlation coecients. Average ISE scores varied from 291 in the Central area (homicide rate = 27.96 deaths per 100 000) to 119.9 in the East area (homicide rate = 40.38). The Spearman coecient between ISEs and homicide rates was À0.98 (p < 0.05). Due to the heterogeneity inside the areas, the median ISE is a better indicator of the socioeconomic conditions yielding an r s = À 1.0. Almost half the population resides in areas with the highest risk of homicide mortality (East and South). Taking the Central area as a reference, we found risks of 1.36 in the Western, 1.37 in the Northern, 1.44 in the Eastern and 2.67 in the Southern areas.
Lethal Violence in Brazil: A Systematic Review of Portuguese-Language Literature From 2000 to 2020
Criminal Justice Review, 2021
Reviewing national literature on homicides in Brazil, this article explores questions that relate to the nature, trends, determinants, and impact of these crimes on society, as well as interventions to combat this type of violence. The article contributes to the international literature by reviewing and critically discussing a sample of 112 theses on homicides from the Portuguese-language literature using the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations from 2000 to 2020. Highlighting an issue that primarily affects young, poor Black men, the article helps advocate for a better understanding of other types of lethal violence that affect women, LGBQTI and other minorities. The article calls for a better understanding of the role of the state, the police and other criminal justice actors as generators and/or controllers of violence, as well as the need for other perspectives on homicide prevention, which include the microsituational aspects of killing, organized crime, and interaction between the individual and the environment.
Intra-urban differentials in death rates from homicide in the city of São Paulo, Brazil,1988–1994
Social Science & Medicine, 1998
AbstractÐThe objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic statistics and homicide mortality rates in the city of SaÄ o Paulo between 1988 and 1994. City districts were grouped into ®ve geographic areas. A socioeconomic indicator (ISE) was constructed with census information combining average income of the family head, illiteracy rate for the population over 5 yr of age, average number of rooms and number of persons per household. The higher the score, the better the socioeconomic situation (possible values: 4 to 384). Deaths from homicide were grouped by residential areas, and the rates for these areas were calculated. The association between homicide rates and the socioeconomic situation was analyzed with Spearman correlation coecients. Average ISE scores varied from 291 in the Central area (homicide rate = 27.96 deaths per 100 000) to 119.9 in the East area (homicide rate = 40.38). The Spearman coecient between ISEs and homicide rates was À0.98 (p < 0.05). Due to the heterogeneity inside the areas, the median ISE is a better indicator of the socioeconomic conditions yielding an r s = À 1.0. Almost half the population resides in areas with the highest risk of homicide mortality (East and South). Taking the Central area as a reference, we found risks of 1.36 in the Western, 1.37 in the Northern, 1.44 in the Eastern and 2.67 in the Southern areas. # 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Key wordsÐurban violence, homicide, intra-urban dierentials, health inequality